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The Petroleum and Coal stream Substances (PetCo) Working Group

The Petroleum and Coal stream Substances (PetCo) Working Group is a platform for Member State competent authorities, the European Commission, ECHA and industry stakeholders to discuss and coordinate activities related to petroleum and coal stream substances (PetCo).

The working group’s primary activity has been to develop an approach on how to prioritise and address petroleum and coal stream UVCB substances (very complex and variable/partly undefined composition) for further work under the Roadmap for SVHC identification and implementation of REACH risk management measures.

Establishment and role

The PetCo Working Group was established in 2015 to develop an approach to identify and address PetCo substances and plan how to practically implement this approach as required by the SVHC Roadmap to 2020.

The roadmap gives priority to substances with SVHC properties and petroleum and coal stream (PetCo) UVCB substances fall under its scope.

The roadmap recognises that, due to their complex nature, there is first a need to develop an approach on how to assess these substances. The systematic assessment is then expected to start later. The roadmap also highlights that work on regulatory risk management (RRM) for petroleum stream substances needs to start.

ECHA hosts and coordinates the working group.

Activities

The PetCo Working Group is a platform for exchanges between authorities and industry to ensure that the work on PetCo substances moves forward using the developed approach as a basis. It will also ensure that progress is made in improving the registration dossiers and further regulating petroleum and coal stream substances where necessary.

The group:

Applies the PetCo approach to all petroleum and coal stream substances and identifies substances for which further regulatory action is needed, whether it is data generation or regulatory risk management.

It should also help the work of authorities in identifying whether and what regulatory risk management is needed on PetCo substances.

The role of authorities is also to continue further developing how to address these UVCB substances in different regulatory processes. This work will be handled in a (closed) authority session with a report to the main PetCo Working Group.

The main outcome of the PetCo Working Group is reported, as appropriate, to the RIME and CARACAL meetings.

Participation

Nominated experts from the following organisations are currently participating in the PetCo Working Group: